Can you leave a voicemail if your number is blocked iphone

Can you leave a voicemail if your number is blocked iphone

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Editor's Note: This hack is for iPhone users only. Our apologies, Androiders; you're too lovely to get blocked anyway.

Apple's made it easy as pie to block individual phone numbers, which is much appreciated by those of us hounded by persistent robo-callers and overeager Tinder matches. But have you yourself reached such a level of nuisance that you've earned a place on someone's blocked caller list? In this age of rampant ghosting and straight-up textual awfulness, if you suspect you might be blocked, the answer is probably yes. Here's how to investigate whether your call is going straight to nowhere and -- bonus! -- how to get around the block.

One ring and straight to voicemail means you might be blocked

Even if you've been blocked, you'll still be able to ring through and leave a message -- the intended recipient simply won't be notified. When you call, there is a telltale sign to listen out for. If you only hear one ring before the voicemail picks up, there are three possible reasons: their phone is off, they've set their phone to auto-divert to voicemail (i.e., they've enabled Do Not Disturb mode), or you've been blocked. To rule out the former two, attempt to call a few more times; if the one-ring-to-voicemail continues and they don't call you back, odds are you're blocked. 

Check your sent-iMessage status

Another way to test whether you've been blacklisted is to find out whether they're getting your iMessages. If last you knew the recipient had their read receipts enabled and it's now only displaying "Delivered" after you send, you should be suspicious. Similarly, if they aren't the read-receipt type, but there's neither confirmation it's been received (a "Delivered" message beneath your blue bubble) nor an error message suggesting you re-send as a text, something may be up. 

Can you leave a voicemail if your number is blocked iphone
Screenshot via iOS 9

Here's how to get around it: block your caller ID

To bypass any blocks placed on your number, simply block your caller ID -- but enabling this option depends on your carrier. If you have AT&T, go to Settings > Phone > Show My Caller ID and disable it. Verizon customers will need to dial *67 before entering the 10-digit phone number (others should be able to find instructions on their specific carriers' sites). Your call will go through as "No Caller ID." If the person actually picks up and sounds, uh, surprised to hear from you, you'll know for sure you've been blocked... and, now that you've thoroughly creeped this person out, you'll probably stay that way. Forever. (Needless to say, unless it’s an emergency and you urgently need to be touch with said person, you probably shouldn't do this.)

For the blockers, you can listen to voicemails left by people you've blocked

For those of you on the flip side of this coin, there's an easy way to find out if someone you've blocked has left you any voicemails. While you'll never get a notification of any kind when they call you, your phone does keep a record of the voicemails they've left. To access it, scroll to the bottom of the Voicemail tab -- if any exist they'll be in the "Blocked Messages" folder under the one labeled "Deleted Messages." 

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Joe McGauley is a senior writer for Thrillist who misses the good ol' days when you had to verbally harass telemarketers to get them to stop calling.

It's easy to communicate with people anywhere in the world. You don't have to wait for the mail delivery. Instead, you can send a text message. However, people can cut communication quickly by blocking a phone number from an unwanted sender. And this can happen without you knowing. While the best way of knowing if someone is avoiding you is by asking them directly, there are other ways to find out.

How to know if someone blocked your number

When someone blocks you, you don't receive a notification of the action. Still, there are a few key signs. For example, a phone call that goes straight to voicemail instead of ringing many times. You do not want to trust this, because the recipient may have their phone turned off or they're on another phone call. You can leave a voicemail, but the recipient does not receive notification of the message if you're blocked. Another example is when you receive an automated message that the recipient is unavailable. The odds are the recipient blocked you.

Attempt text messages

iOS and Android phones work in different ways with their messaging services. iMessage makes it easier to know if someone blocked you. On Android, it depends on the recipient's phone and message type.

How to tell if you're blocked on your iPhone

iMessage uses two notifications to let senders know when message delivery and reading occur. One notification says "delivered" and the second says "read." While not a surefire way of knowing, they are among the methods available. It's possible the recipient is out of signal range or has their phone off. Still, there are other ways to find out if someone has blocked your number on iMessage.

How to tell if you're blocked on Android

Android phones use a service that doesn't notify you of the delivery or reading of messages. Therefore, a text message is not an ideal way of determining if blocking has occurred. If you send a text and don't hear back, they may not be able to respond or do not care to respond.

Similar to the iPhone, it's best to wait a few days to see if you get a response. If you still don't hear from the recipient, try a different method to determine if blocking occurred.

Attempt calling on iPhone or Android

Calling is an easier way to determine if someone blocked your number. First, call from your phone number. If the call goes to voicemail, listen to the message. If you receive a message that the number is unavailable, it generally means the recipient blocked you. If you don't, the recipient may not be in signal range or their phone is turned off.

In this case, your next option is to call from a different phone number or use *67 to hide your number. If the call goes through on that number, blocking may have occurred. You don't need to talk to the person, but rather see if it rings more than once.

Can you know for sure?

There's no clear way to use your phone to determine if someone blocked you. You'll see signs, such as undelivered messages and straight-to-voicemail phone calls. The only way to ensure someone blocked you is to find out from the recipient. Either ask them yourself or talk to a mutual friend.

The Do Not Disturb settings silence all calls and text messages unless the recipient has set a contact or application as an exception. This means the recipient still receives notifications of a call, but the notifications won't make a sound. The purpose of this setting is to allow people to get work done and only be disturbed by important notifications or calls.

Android has a setting that allows calls to come through if the caller phones twice in less than 15 minutes. You can use this to determine if you are blocked, but only if you know the recipient has the Repeat callers setting turned on.

Airplane mode on the phone also disables the recipient's Wi-Fi, data, cellular, and Bluetooth connections. This setting prevents them from receiving text messages or phone calls until they turn off the setting. It prevents people from emitting signals that interfere with piloting equipment. However, some use this to preserve battery life on their phones. Many people also use it while traveling to prevent roaming charges when they are outside their service areas.

Call, text, or walk away?

The short answer is that there is no definite way of determining if you've been blocked without talking directly to the person in question. Sure, there will be a few signs, namely silence from the person in question. Even if you purchase one of the best Android phones, you will remain blocked unless you change your number.

Can I leave a voicemail for someone who blocked me Iphone?

Blocked phone calls go straight to voicemail The blocked caller can still leave a voicemail, but it won't show up with your regular messages.

Can you leave a voicemail if someone has your number blocked?

A blocked number works a little differently. You'll get one ring, then go right to voicemail. You're free to leave a voicemail, although it won't go directly to the recipient's inbox. Instead, there's a separate location for voicemails from blocked numbers.